Driving mechanism



l ffcS 2,817,245 Patented Dec. 24, 1957 DRIVING MECHANISM Cyril I. Stevens, West Springfield, Mass., assignor to B. F. Perkins & Son, Inc., Holyoke, Mass., a corporation Application March 14, 1956, Serial No. 571,570

2 Claims. (Cl. 74-378) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in driving mechanism and is directed more particularly to improvements in reversing driving mechanism for cloth piling machines as shown and described in U. S. Patent No. 1,478,846, issued to P. W. Bidwell on December 25, 1923.

The principal objects of the invention are directed to the provision of reversing driving mechanism for piling machines commonly called bin pilers which is strong and rugged in its construction and efficient in its operation.

The novel mechanism of the invention is characterized by input and output shafts, the latter of which is driven from the former in opposite directions so that, when associated with a bin piler, the same may be propelled in opposite directions on supports above a bin in which cloth is piled by the piler.

The mechanism is arranged so that lubricant therefrom will not drip onto cloth in the bin so as to damage the cloth and the invention thereby overcomes objections of prior art constructions.

Other prime objects of my invention include; first, the securement of a higher degree of accuracy and greater degree of variety in the manner of work performed therewith than has heretofore been possible with prior devices known in the art; second, the attainment of a higher speed of construction and assembly of the device due to its simplification of design and its unique composition of parts; third, the attainment of a flexibility or a capability of adjustment by which a large variety of work can be produced by means of the same device; fourth, the achievement of a greater ease in adjustment and repairs; fifth, the provision of an improved driving mechanism which may be made more economically and with fewer operations in the manufacture of its parts, as well as in the assembly of the same, than prior devices known in the art; sixth, the provision of a construction which may be readily installed with respect to the various purposes for which it is intended, and seventh, the provision of such other improvements in and relating to driving mechanisms of the type above referred to as are hereinafter described and claimed.

The mechanism is arranged for ready and easy assembly thereby to facilitate economy in manufacture as well as to enchance maintainance and repair should the same be necessary.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features of novelty which characterize my invention will be pointed out with particularly in the claims annexed to and forming part of this specification.

In the accompanying drawing, I have illustrated a complete example of a physical embodiment of the invention in which the parts are combined and arranged in accordance with one mode which I have devised for the practical application of the principles of the invention. It will however be understood that changes and alterations are contemplated and may be made in these exemplifying drawings and mechanical structures, within the scope of the claims, without departing from the principles of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevational view through mechanism embodying the nove1 features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevational view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a small scale plan view of the mechanism shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring now to the drawings in detail the invention will be fully described.

A housing 2 is provided which has opposite side Walls 4, end walls 6 and a bottom wall 8. A closure 10 is provided for the open upper side of the housing which is held in place thereon by a plurality of screws engaging bosses 14 of the housing so as to provide a leak proof enclosure.

A drive shaft 16 is journalled in sealed bearing constructions 18 secured in upper portions of the side walls 4. Said bearings 18 are located in the upper portion of the housing above the usual level of lubricant therein to prevent lubricant dripping at this point.

The drive shaft 16 has a driving worm 20 fixed thereto which is in mesh with a driven Worm gear 22. Said gear 22 is integral with a driving level gear 24 and said gears 22 and 24 are rotatable on a stud 26 fixed in suitable manner in a hub 28 of the housing.

An output driven shaft 30 is journalled in bearings 32 of the side walls 4 of the housing. Gears 34 and 36 are loose on the shaft 30 and mesh with the drive gear 24. Inner sides of the gears 34 and 36 are provided with clutch sockets such as 38 of gear 34.

A clutch 40 has jaws such as 42 on opposite sides thereof for engaging in the sockets 38 of the gears. Said clutch is slidable or shiftable on along shaft 30 and a key 44 carried by the shaft.

Said clutch 40 as is usual is provided with an annular groove in which is a clutch collar formed by half-parts 46 which are secured together by screws 48. Said collar is provided with the usual pins 50.

A clutch shifter 52 is xed to an operating shaft 54 journalled in .an inner bearing 56 and an outer leak proof bearing 58. A collar 53 is fixed to the operating shaft 54.

The shifter 52 has longitudinally spaced arms 58 provided with notches receiving the pins 50 of the collar as shown. As the shaft 54 is oscillated in one direction or the other the collar is moved to shift the clutch to engage it with one or the other of the gears 34 and 36. Thus with gear 24 rotating in a certain direction the shaft 30 may be rotated in a desired direction by clutching the drive gear with one of the gears 34 or 36.

An arm 60 extends upwardly from the shifter and member 62 is pivoted on a pin 64 thereof. Brackets 70 and 72 are secured together by a bolt 74 and depending portions 76 thereof have a block 78 journalled therebetween by means of pins 80. The secured together brackets are secured to a wall of the housing.

A stem 82 of member 62 is slidable in block 78 and a spring 84 surrounds the stem 82 between members 62 and 78.

As the shaft 54 is oscillated in opposite directions to oscillate the shifter 52 and thereby move the collar so as to shift the clutch the pivotal connection 64 of member 62 and arm 60 shifts between positions at opposite sides of a plane extending vertically through the axis of rotation of drive gear 24. In swinging the shifter spring 84 is compressed but said spring resists unwanted movement of the shifter and thus the clutch is rele'asably held in a position to which it is shifted.

The mechanism may be quickly and readily operated by means associated with shaft 54.

While I have illustrated and described the invention as embodied in a specific arrangement, I do not intend to be limited to the details shown since various modifications and structuralchanges maybe made without departing in any way from the spirit of the invention. Without further analysis, the foregoing is intended to so fully reveal the gist of my invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features which, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention, and therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range f equivalence ofthe claims below.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of' the United States is:

l'. Apparatus ofthe class described wherein reversible driving mechanism is enclosed within a closed housing, a closed housnig having opposite and `adjacent verti cal side and end walls and upper and lower walls, aligned bearings in upper portions of said side walls having an input shaft rotatable therein and extending through the housing, other aligned bearings in lower portions of said side walls having an ouput shaft rotatable therein and extending through the housing on an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of` the input shaft, a stud fixed to one end wall and extendingin the housing inwardly from said one end wall intermediate side walls adjacent thereto, an integral worm gear and driving pinion rotatable on said stud, a worm fixed to said input shaft in engagement with said worm gear, relatively spaced driven gears rotatable on said output shaft in engagement with opposite sides of said pinion and having clutch jaws on adjacent inner sides thereof, a clutch reciprocable and non-rotatable on said output shaft between said driven gears having 4- clutch jaws at opposite ends thereof `for selectivelyy engaging said clutch with one of said driven gears, aligned bearings carried by the other end wall and bottom wall of the housing disposed below the bearings for the output shaft having an operating shaft oscillatable therein on an axis at right angles to the axis of rotation of the output shaft and provided with a portion outside said other end wall, a collar rotatable and non-reciprocable on said clutch having pins extending from opposite sides thereof, a shifter fixed to said oscillatable operating shaft within said housing having arms extending upwardly therefrom operatively engaging said pins for reciprocating said co1- lar and shifting said clutch into clutching engagement with one of said output gears, and holding means` to releasably hold said shifter in clutching engagement of the clutch with either of said output gears.

2. Apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein said holding means includes; a bracket xed to the upper portion of said other end wall having a block pivoted thereto on an axis spaced from the axis of the operating shaft, an arm fixed toy said operating shaft having an end extending upwardly therefrom, a stem having a lower end pivoted to the end of said arm and being reciprocable in said block, and a compression spring on said stem between said block and lower end of said stem operable to resist movements of said arm from clutching position of the clutch.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,128,715 Reich Aug. 30, 1938 2,273,807 Woytych Feb. 17, 1942 2,277,198 Auer Mar. 24, 1942 2,508,046 Smith May 16, 1950 2,525,392 Bee Oct. l0, 1950 

